Australia could provide logistical support to the US in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, academics said on Friday.
The academics’ comments on Canberra’s possible role in the Taiwan Strait came after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday in a radio interview with Melbourne’s 3AW said in response to questions about his government’s policy on Taiwan that Australia has “always stood for freedom.”
Australia has participated in joint naval drills as a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue member in Malabar in November last year and in the Bay of Bengal last month. The exercises were seen as part of a US-led effort to check Beijing’s aggressive behavior in the region.
Photo: AP
Australia has supported the US in Afghanistan and the Middle East mainly with logistics and joined combat operations only when necessary, Institute for National Defense and Security Research assistant research fellow Paul Huang (黃恩浩) said.
If Australia participates in a US-led effort to aid Taiwan during a Chinese attack, it would likely take on a role similar to that in Afghanistan, he said.
Australia could protect maritime lines of communications, provide sea and airlift capabilities, and engage in combat operations under certain conditions, he said.
The Royal Australian Navy and the US Navy could conduct joint escort operations in the South China Sea and international waters near Taiwan, he said.
Due to treaty obligations and strategic concerns, Japan is certain to join the US in a conflict with China in the Taiwan Strait, National Chengchi University assistant professor of international affairs Chen Wen-chia (陳文甲) said.
As a signatory of the Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty, an important US ally and a partner of the US’ Indo-Pacific Strategy, Canberra would send forces to aid the US, he said.
However, Australia is unlikely to send ships to the Taiwan Strait and would probably conduct operations in the periphery of a conflict, such as the South China Sea, and support the US with medical ships and supplies, he said.
In the absence of a pre-existing security framework, any Australian action in support of Taiwan would be conducted through its military alliance with the US, he said.
As such, Taipei should focus on facilitating exchanges with Canberra in affairs outside of military cooperation under the premise of enhancing Taiwan-US relations, he said.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS